Armored Brigade - New Stacking Limit Beta

[Daniele]

Hi everybody!

We have some news from the front!

Armored Brigade developers are restless! After having released their first DLC featuring the armies of Italy and Yugoslavia and after adding the Mission Editor, another important achievement is going to be reached!

The stacking limit has always been something both developers and the community wanted to improve. That moment has come!



Version v1.36 Beta available through the Members Area features the stacking limit brought to 3 units per square! Anyone who has registered the game can get it and try its full potential!



The new stacking limit is a major change for the game. It has been discussed by the community and the developers for a while now, but it posed some technical challenges, and we had to make sure the change would not compromise the simulation, or the AI's capabilities. After adopting the game code to handle it, we have found that 3 units per square work best.

Thanks to this change, the game now flows even more naturally, and unit pathfinding has been greatly improved. The AI has been adjusted to be aware and utilise the new stacking limit, so players should also see improvements in its behavior.



Grab it and leave feedback in the forum!

[22sec]

I'm getting the following error message when trying to download.

Code: Select all

<response>
 <Result>false</Result>
 <ErrorCode>404</ErrorCode>
 <ErrorComment>Not Found: Download not available</ErrorComment>
 </response>

[Phoenix100]

+1 on the error code

[Lowlaner2012]

Yep same here

[Tamas]

Apologies everyone, we have run into some server issues. We will have a new, working link for you very shortly.

[Tamas]

If you follow the link in the opening post, it will now show you a working link of the 1.036 public beta, but here is the link directly as well:

1.036 Public Beta

[22sec]

Got it.[&o]

[Lowlaner2012]

thanks got it as well

[Lowlaner2012]

After playing the game for a few hours, its looking good, a lot smoother and some new graphics I believe..

I can't see any obvious problems, I will play more tomorrow night 😎

[Veitikka]

There's a lot of good stuff in the update. Here's the full changelog:

NOTE: Savegames from older builds are not compatible.

Fix: MILAN IFV and Marder IFV MILAN had incorrect 'ready ammunition' and 'time to fire' values.
Fix: The application crashed if the Battle Generator started a battle where the defending player side had bought obstacles.
Fix: The application crashed if there was an empty folder in the database directory.
Fix: The 'Force B playable' text label without the checkbox was visible in the Battle Generator.
Fix: The Mission Editor zone painting system saved the isolated impassable 'islands' as no-go zones.
[engine] Allow up to three friendly units to enter a map cell simultaneously.
[engine] Improve pathfinding.
[engine] Add the 'Autumn (early)' environment.
[engine] Decrease the spotting penalty of retreating units. The units are now much less blind when retreating.
[engine] Make the standard and artillery mines harder to detect.
[engine] Increase the cost of standard minefields.
[engine] The auto-purchaser tries to buy an equal amount of minefield, AT, and wire obstacles.
[engine] Do not allow placing obstacles on rubble terrain.
[engine] Only anti-air ground units always prefer air targets.
[engine] Improve the rubble graphics.
[engine] Implement the new brush types for zone painting in the Battle Generator and the Mission Editor.
[graphics] Improve and add new textures, zoomed-out map patterns, and pattern colors.
[scenarios] Update scenarios: 'Walk on Water', 'Winter Desolation', 'Twin Valleys', 'East of Fulda', and 'Special Delivery'.
[ui] Implement the formation/unit 'locked' icons.
[ui] Update the main menu background texture.

[noooooo]

[&o]

[exsonic01]

At the very first run I faced the error message, some wav files for sound effects are missing. But I executed the game again, then it runs without error.

Thanks for the brushes, now I can set up "chem/nuke-craters" in more plausible fashion, covering the map with small and big no-go zone + destruction zone craters.

[Lowlaner2012]

Awesome stuff, thanks for continuing to improve the game 😀

[nikolas93TS]

Multiple stacking pretty much solved issues with traffic congestion on bottleneck points like bridges, narrow forest roads etc. which is a huge achievement.

For some of us while testing it almost felt like playing a different game. Very refreshing, particularly given the amount of years spent on this project.

Naturally, it speeds up the tempo of AI operations as well, and making them better coordinated because large formations are easier to control and command and hence less likely to lag behind a smaller groups.

We also had to make improvements to AI behavior as well, in order to prevent massive casualties on ambush spots. AI now reacts to wrecks and losses, and adapts tactically to flank or bypass them, so the chance of situations where well hidden AT teams can destroy a whole company in a small area is reduced and forces the human player to place emphasis on overlapping fields of fire.

[budd]

units travel through other units, and can sit right on top of other units. side effect of the 3 unit per cell? I guess on deployment its still one unit per cell. i was wondering if the spacing would be adjusted to the new cell limit when trying to narrow the spacing. Just started playing around with the new update.

[nikolas93TS]

Yes, but it is purely "cosmetic" and minor issue compared to previously "cannot find detour" warning.

We are working on fixing that, by implementing a subgrid collision model that will prevent unit sprites from crossing each other.

But being a deep engine change, it will take some time to be implemented and properly tested.

[budd]

Roger that, thanks for the reply.

[Policefreak55]

ORIGINAL: nikolas93TS

Yes, but it is purely "cosmetic" and minor issue compared to previously "cannot find detour" warning.

We are working on fixing that, by implementing a subgrid collision model that will prevent unit sprites from crossing each other.

But being a deep engine change, it will take some time to be implemented and properly tested.

If a system like this does get implemented, would the possibility exist for this system to affect destroyed vehicles as well so they don't just go ghost and turn transparent?

[noooooo]

ORIGINAL: nikolas93TS

Yes, but it is purely "cosmetic" and minor issue compared to previously "cannot find detour" warning.

We are working on fixing that, by implementing a subgrid collision model that will prevent unit sprites from crossing each other.

But being a deep engine change, it will take some time to be implemented and properly tested.

I agree, some clipping is almost inconsequential in my opinion compared to the problem that it resolves. Not saying that I don't want it fixed but if I had to pick I would rather have minor clipping than borked pathfinding 100 times out of 100.

Also the default of "Fordable" water is probably no longer necessary and can be changed back to "Varied"

[Veitikka]

ORIGINAL: exsonic01

At the very first run I faced the error message, some wav files for sound effects are missing. But I executed the game again, then it runs without error.

This was possibly caused by the anti-virus software.

Thanks for the brushes, now I can set up "chem/nuke-craters" in more plausible fashion, covering the map with small and big no-go zone + destruction zone craters.

There's a fix that allows placing destruction zones inside the no-go zones, as was requested by some players.